Harry Potter star Emma Watson talks about her new film, college life, and trying to keep her personal life private.

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On what acting in her new film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, made her realize about her career: “Making this movie was so pivotal for me because I realized I do really want to be an actress, which wasn’t something I fully knew, since Harry Potter was such a singular experience. Obviously I’m nervous to see what other people think, but it kind of doesn’t matter to me. It’s so cheesy to say this, but it’s the journey, not the end goal, that’s important.”

On her obsession with Lena Dunham: “I am literally obsessed with [Girls creator and star] Lena Dunham. She’s, like, my favorite person in the world. I follow her on Twitter; I read her every day. And, yes, Girls is an example of something so refreshing because it feels real.”

On keeping her university life out of the spotlight: “I just—I don’t know. I just feel like if I start opening the door to talking about my university experience, then people just kind of…own everything. There was a lot of stuff a couple of years ago saying that I was bullied at Brown and awful things like that, none of which were true. But it’s my personal experience and it’s my personal life…and I would just go crazy if I didn’t have a reality, if I didn’t have a life outside of the roles I play. The entertainment industry is pretty nuts, and having had that experience outside of it and going to university has really made a big difference. It’s important to me to feel like I have my own life.”

On the paparazzi, and being caught kissing someone at Coachella:“I know! My friend got me tickets for my birthday, and what am I going to say? No, I’m not going to go, because I don’t want to be photographed? But it was a huge crowd, and I thought there was no way anyone could get pictures of me, but somehow they found me. It’s difficult on my dating life, because anyone I get photographed with is automatically my boyfriend. So it just makes it look as if I’ve had, like, 6,000 boyfriends!”

On working with a stylist: “Yeah, I have to at this point. When I was younger, I used to do it all myself, but I’ve had to get help because it’s gotten to a stage where I can’t show up in my Converses or whatever I bought from High Street. And just practically, these gowns are ridiculous. You’re being photographed from every angle, so not only do you have to consider how the thing looks, but whether you’re going to be able to sit in it and whether people are going to be able to see up your skirt.”

On growing out her hair versus keeping it short: “I have to for roles. But if I had it my way, I would have just kept it short forever. Of course, men like long hair. There’s no two ways about it. The majority of the boys around me were like, “Why did you do that? That’s such an error.” And I was like, “Well, honestly, I don’t really care what you think!” I’ve never felt so confident as I did with short hair—I felt really good in my own skin.”

Kathleen Spencer is a pop culture fanatic, movie aficionado, lover of celebrity gossip and is a confessed mommy blog addict. Kathleen has a decade of experience writing about the trials, tribulations and triumphs of celebrities and their cohorts.